Order of the Black Rose
The Order of the Black Rose is a secret, ancient group of people who have been working in the shadows ever since the Chaos War. Their goal is to strengthen their own power base by making kingdoms rise and fall whenever it suits them. They are thus working for various factions, and few even know they exist. Their plans are hard to figure out, because they can work in both heroic and villainous ways. The current leader of the Order is Duke Koschei Dravaris. History Early Years Little is known about the origins of the Order of the Black Rose since the facts have been kept a secret...or they've simply vanished into the mists of time. Whatever the truth is, the first recorded public appearance of the Order dates back to the Chaos War when the Order's operatives seemingly supported Mardük's cause for their own ends. When Mardük was defeated, the Order faded from public view and began working in the background. They did not make any public appearances for a few centuries although they seemed to play different factions against one another during the Cardian War and Arawn Losstarot War among other things. Third Age Distreyd Era The Order reappeared in the world scene a few millennia later when Count Antigonus de Ardyn, a particularly ambitious Superior of the Order, intervened in the matters of Libaterra and escalated the conflict into the Libaterran Civil War. They also began seeking the Dragon Diamond and hoped to use its powers to release a powerful dragon named Frazzn'korth and make the beast their slave. The majority of the Order top brass in Maar Sul were decimated in the year 983 AE by the rogue demon Omaroch d'Zarnagon. Antigonus seemingly perished too, and his brother Belial de Ardyn became the new Superior of the Order. The surviving operatives began rebuilding the Order but also paid close attention to politics around them as they once again began spreading their influence to the neighbouring nations. Belial even hired Glaurung Losstarot and her band of mercenaries to raid camps in the Khitan Khanate during the Great War in order to use the ensuing chaos as a means to distraction in order to erase records of the Order's existence from the archives of SAVAGE in Maar Sul City. Godslayer Era The Cataclysm shook the world, but the Order adapted, keeping in touch with its contacts in various nations. The Order strengthened its power base in Maar Sul under Belial's guidance but suffered a drawback when Belial was assassinated in Maar Sul City in 1017 AE. Duke Koschei Dravaris was elected as the new Superior of the Order after Belial's son and heir Khalid al-Saif refused the title due to his obligations to the Sultanate of Karaganda's Sarquil tribes. The Order supported both the Grand Alliance and the Crimson Coalition in the war between the two great armies although Dravaris decidedly took a more open stance with his dealings with the Coalition in the summer of 1017 AE. The Coalition's violent takeover of Eastern and Northern Libaterra and the city of Etheril drove the Libaterran crime organization Union Workers into action which resulted in a brief but brutal conflict between the Order and the Union, which became known as the Alent Gang War, until a peace was brokered due to efforts from both the Union's Raul Emmenson and the Order's Danielle Deveraux and Henry Harunt. Armor and Emblems The flag of the Order has a black rose on a field of white. The colour scheme symbolizes the delicate balance of the world and how the Order is there to maintain it. The rose signifies that the Order can be both beneficial (a rose is beautiful) and dangerous (a rose has thorns) at the same time. The clothing of the members of the Order varies because they do not want to draw too much attention to their members. The only thing that shows if someone is a member of the Order is that such a person carries the mark of the Black Rose somewhere, whether in clothing, tattoos or weapons. Notable members Active *House of Ardyn *Brigitte Bardot - commander of the Order's Alentian branch *Danielle Deveraux - former commander of the Order's Alentian branch (dead) *Florian Gagnon - assassin and advisor in Etheril *Henry Harunt - commander of the Order's Reign branch *Koschei Dravaris - current Superior of the Order Former *Saleos - assassin and former member *Sylus - assassin and former member Vessels *Ardent See also *Alent Gang War *Chaos War *Glaurung Losstarot *Maar Sul Category:Factions Category:First Age Category:Maar Sul (nation) Category:Order of the Black Rose Category:Second Age Category:Third Age